1 Thessalonians 1-2: Takeaways & Notes

• Grace and Peace

• Thank God for the people in your life

• Mention the people God put in your life in your prayers, pray for them consistently

• Remember the ways God has worked through others in your life

• Works are produced by faith in Christ

• "...labor prompted by love." (1:3)

• "...endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." (1:3)

• ^^ God will give you endurance throughout your life, even in times of trials.

• My brothers and sisters in Christ are also my friends and family and they are loved and chosen by God

• The Gospel doesn't come simply with words but also with power (1:5)

• The Gospel comes with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction

• You influence the people around you

• You can become imitators of the people you associate with but the people you associate with can also become imitators of you

• If you're imitating Christ, the people you associate with will see that and it will have an effect on them

• You can welcome the message of God in the middle of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit (1:6)

• Be a model to other believers and a model to nonbelievers of what being a Christian looks like (1:7)

• Let the Lord's message flow out of you (1:8)

• Let your faith in God become known everywhere (1:8)

• People don't need to say anything about your faith when it flows out of you because when your faith overflows, it will be known everywhere. (1:8)

• People will report to others about your faith in Christ (1:9)

• Your faith in Christ should not be a secret (1:9)

• Turn to Christ; turn away from idols (1:9)

• God raised Jesus from the dead (1:10)

• Jesus is alive, death is defeated (1:10)

• Jesus rescues us from the coming wrath of the Lord (1:10)

• Visits on the behalf of Christ are not without results (2:1)

• You can previously have suffered and been mistreated to severe degrees but still preach the Gospel to others in the face of strong opposition with the help of God (2:2)

• Do not make your appeals from errors or impure motives or from the intentions of tricking people (2:3)

• Speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel (2:4)

• Do not try to please people, but instead try to please God, who tests our hearts (2:4)

• It's not smart to use flattery to spread the Gospel (2:5)

• You shouldn't use a mask to try to cover up greed because that's giving others misconception of yourself (2:5)

• God is our witness (2:5)

• There is power, healing, and freedom in God's presence

• You don't need to look for praise from people (2:6)

• ^^ Even if you are able to assert your authority to receive praise from people, don't do it (2:6)

• Be like a young child in your faith in Christ, believe! (2:7)

• Care for others, believers and nonbelievers, just as a nursing mother cares for her children. (2:7-8)

• Love believers and nonbelievers (2:8)

• Be delighted to share with others, not only the Gospel, but your life as well (2:8)

• Try not to be a burden to anyone while preaching the Gospel to others; don't purposefully be overbearing to others (2:9)

• Be holy, righteous, and blameless among those who believe (2:10)

• Encourage, comfort, and urge believers to live lives worthy of God, who calls us into His Kingdom and Glory (2:11-12)

• Thank God continually (2:13)

• Receive the Word of God and accept it not as human word, but as the Word of God (2:13)

• The Word of God is at work in those who believe (2:13)

• Become imitators of God's churches (2:14)

• Those who killed the prophets and drove out Jesus's disciples displease God and were hostile to everyone (2:15)

• Do not stop people from speaking the Word of God to others (2:16)

• By attempting to prevent others from being told the Word of God, you pile up your sins to the limit (2:16)

• The wrath of God will come upon those who it should come upon (2:16)

• ^^ God will punish those who need to be punished. Not necessarily who we think needs to be punished but those God needs to punish.

• It's good to make efforts to see your brothers and sisters in Christ and communicate with them (2:17)

• Satan will try to block you off from communicating with other believers (2:18)